WNBA Recap & Results | September 29, 2026
Two elimination games, two very different outcomes. Indiana bounced back at home to even its series with Las Vegas and send it back to Nevada for Game 3. And New York finished the job in Brooklyn, sweeping Minnesota 2-0 and making the Lynx the first No. 1 seed to lose a first-round series since the WNBA adopted this playoff format in 2022. Here's how it all went down, plus a look at how the preview predictions held up, and where each series stands.
Clark and Mitchell Bounce Back, Fever Force a Game 3
Las Vegas Aces 89, Indiana Fever 99
Indiana came in with their backs against the wall after coming off a 16-turnover, 17-point blowout Game 1, and the Fever fixed exactly that problem. Indiana led after every quarter, weathered a 26-17 Las Vegas opening frame, then took firm control with a 30-17 second quarter. Final: 99-89, the series is tied 1-1 and heads back to Las Vegas for Game 3.
Caitlin Clark bounced back with a double-double, going 9-of-18 from the field (5-of-11 from three) for 27 points at 68.3% true shooting with 15 assists against five turnovers. Kelsey Mitchell added 26 points on 9-of-11 from the free throw line, snapping back from Game 1's cold night. Aliyah Boston shot 10-of-15 for 22 points. Indiana's 22 assists and 12 turnovers, down sharply from 17 in the opener, reflected exactly the cleaner ball security the preview flagged as the Fever's path to forcing a third game.
Las Vegas got a monster night from Jackie Young that wasn't enough. Young went 7-of-19 for 31 points with 13-of-13 from the line. A'ja Wilson added 22 points and nine rebounds but shot just 5-of-11 from the field. Las Vegas's 34 free throw attempts kept them in it, but their 9-of-28 three-point shooting and their inability to match Indiana's ball security, after forcing 17 Fever turnovers in Game 1, reflected the turnaround the preview identified as Indiana's only real path.
IND 99 · LVA 89
Liberty Sweep Lynx, End No. 1 Seed's Season
Minnesota Lynx 71, New York Liberty 87
New York finished what it started Sunday, and did it despite Jonquel Jones playing through an ankle injury that limited her in Game 1. The Liberty led after every quarter, built a 19-point cushion, and closed it out to complete the sweep. Final: 87-71, New York wins the series 2-0 and becomes the first team to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the first round since the league adopted this playoff format in 2022.
Minnesota's Rookie of the Year could not find her footing in a second straight playoff game. Olivia Miles went 1-of-8 for five points with a flagrant foul. Courtney Williams led the Lynx with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and Napheesa Collier, tasked with chasing Stewart most of the afternoon, added 14 points on 6-of-14. Minnesota's 38.2% shooting and their inability to solve New York across two games ended a 33-11 regular season in stunning fashion, exactly the historic outcome the preview's key stat flagged as one loss away.
NYL 87 · MIN 71
IND & NYL Take Game 2.
Tuesday delivered a historic first and a series that lives on. New York's sweep of Minnesota is a genuine landmark, the first time a No. 1 seed has been eliminated in the first round since the format began in 2022, and it happened to a team that finished 33-11. Indiana's response in the other elimination game was exactly what a desperate home team needed, cleaning up the turnovers that sank them in Game 1 and forcing a decisive Game 3 back in Las Vegas.
Star of the Night: Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty
21 points | 9-of-14 FG | 70.6% TS | 13 rebounds | Double-Double
Playing through the ankle injury the preview flagged as a concern, Jones delivered the performance that closed out a historic sweep. Clark's 27-15 double-double in Indiana's must-win and Young's 31-point night for Las Vegas both made strong cases, but Jones's health and production in the series-clinching game gives her the top spot.
Dud of the Night: Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
5 points | 1-of-8 FG | 12.5% field goal percentage | Flagrant foul
Miles's rookie season ended with back-to-back playoff duds, following Game 1's 3-of-12 with an even quieter 1-of-8 in the elimination game. Her struggles across two games were the clearest individual thread in Minnesota's stunning first-round exit.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Predictions
Tuesday's picks went a clean 2-for-2 on sides, but 0-for-2 on totals.
Las Vegas @ Indiana: The preview leaned Indiana -1.5 with the under at 183.5, projecting a 91-86 Fever win built on cleaner ball security. Indiana won by 10, comfortably covering, but the total came in at 188, just over the number. The side hit, the total missed by a hair.
Minnesota @ New York: The preview leaned New York +3.5 with the over at 172.5, projecting an 88-85 Liberty win closer than Sunday's blowout. New York won by 16, comfortably covering, but the total came in at 158, well under the number as New York's defense throttled Minnesota even more completely than Game 1. The side hit, the total missed.
The headline takeaway: both side calls were sharp, correctly favoring the road team in New York's case and the home team in Indiana's, while both totals undersold just how one-sided the defensive performances would be.
Playoff Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles, updated through September 29:
Spread / Side: 5-1
Total (Over/Under): 2-4
Six games graded so far across two playoff preview articles. The side calls sit at 83%, while the totals sit at 33%. We'll keep this tally updated through the postseason.
Where Each Series Stands
First Round, best-of-three: No. 8 New York defeats No. 1 Minnesota 2-0, advances to the semifinals. No. 3 Las Vegas and No. 6 Indiana are tied 1-1. No. 4 Atlanta leads No. 5 Washington 1-0. No. 2 Golden State leads No. 7 Dallas 1-0.
Game 3 between Las Vegas and Indiana is set for Thursday, October 1 in Las Vegas, the higher seed's building. Washington and Dallas both face elimination in their Game 2s on Wednesday, September 30: Atlanta hosts Washington, and Golden State hosts Dallas. New York now waits to learn its semifinal opponent.